THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603080322
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
SOME REMEMBER lunches in the college dining hall and walking around campus. Others recall playing on computers and meeting professors.
And there are others who don't remember too many details. They just remember having a blast.
Past and present participants in Virginia Wesleyan College's ``Rising Stars'' program recently got together to share these kinds of memories, when they gathered at a reunion to commemorate the program's fifth anniversary.
Born out of the Adopt-A-School partnership between Wesleyan and Newtown Road Elementary School, Rising Stars was started to help at-risk fifth-graders realize their potential, by encouraging them to stay in school and aspire to attend college.
Since it was implemented, 120 children have been paired with volunteer college-student sponsors - who brought them on campus for a day to introduce them to the college experience.
``We have a lot to celebrate,'' said Newtown guidance counselor Gem Kinzig.
Six times a year, four fifth-graders are chosen by Kinzig, based on recommendations from teachers. These children are the focal point, since fifth grade is an academic turning point.
``It means a lot to the students to be a Rising Star,'' Kinzig said. ``They feel privileged to get to come to the college.''
They are coupled with college students who are chosen by Rising Stars coordinator Rita Frank, assistant professor of psychology. These students are picked based on their academic and social records, positive attitude about college life, love for children and communication skills.
Mini-biographies are exchanged between Stars and sponsors before their day together - which usually takes place on a Thursday, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. During their visits, the Newtown Road students follow an informal schedule, which usually includes a tour of the campus, lunch and meeting professors - sometimes those who are in fields the fifth-graders are interested in.
At the end of the visit, students are awarded certificates to help them remember their day at Wesleyan. Sponsors and Stars say ``goodbye'' for the day, but according to Kinzig, many keep in touch after the initial meeting.
In May of each year, all of the Stars and sponsors are invited to an end-of-the-year party, where they share what has happened since their visits.
This year's anniversary party was planned with that same idea in mind. ``We're trying to build some more continuity into the program,'' Frank said. ``That's the ideal thing - building relationships.''
It also gave representatives from both sides the chance to praise the program.
``It's always a special day when we have the Rising Stars on campus,'' said Stephen S. Mansfield, VWC vice president for academic affairs.
Added college president William T. ``Billy'' Greer Jr., ``Rising Stars is really a neat idea. This program is about raising sights, discovering your potential and turning dreams into reality.''
Barbara Tourgee, principal of Newtown Road, was the next to give kudos to the program - describing the relationship between the schools as ``symbiotic.''
``We move to the same rhythm,'' she said, emphasizing that each institution knows what the other is thinking and what the other needs. ``Our lives are richer because of the contributions Virginia Wesleyan makes to our school.''
Ernie Gallien, a 1994 Wesleyan graduate, was the featured speaker. Gallien was one of the first sponsors in Rising Stars, and he said the program inspired him to stay in college. He now teaches fourth grade at the Barron Fundamental School on the Peninsula.
Dot Hinman, director of Wesleyan's Adult Studies program, was recognized for founding Rising Stars, and Kinzig was honored for her continued support of the program. Awards were followed by former Stars coordinator and Wesleyan publications director Diane Hotaling's slide presentation of photos past and present, which saluted the many hands that have gone into the program over the years.
Former and current Stars, sponsors and coordinators had the chance to socialize and reminisce after the recognition program, during a basketball game and culminating reception.
Joy McLean, 14, a freshman at Bayside High School and 1991-92 Star, said she really enjoyed her visit because she liked how nice the college students were.
``They were so understanding,'' McLean said. ``I had a fun time.''
McLean came to the reunion with her father ``to see all the old friends that I met and remember the good times I had here,'' she added.
Wesleyan students, such as sophomore Jamie Labbe, came by to support the program.
``I think Rising Stars is a great idea,'' said Labbe, a 1994-95 sponsor. ``It gives the kids something to look forward to, and it reinforces the idea of potential. Nothing can stop them from achieving their dreams if they just keep trying for them.''
Frank and Kinzig said they plan to organize more reunions in the future, to keep up with the Stars past their fifth-grade year.
``This was a good way to bring them back,'' Kinzig added. ``It's a way to follow through and see how they have been influenced by the program and how successful they have been.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Ernie Gallien, a 1994 Virginia Wesleyan graduate, was the keynote
speaker at the fifth-anniversary reunion of the Rising Stars.
Gallien was one of the first sponsors, and he said the program
inspired him to stay in college. He now teaches fourth grade at the
Barron Fundamental School on the Peninsula.
Michelle Jernigan, left, Linda Owens, Demetrius McLean and Bobby
Allen were among the Rising Stars during a 1995 visit to Virginia
Wesleyan College.
by CNB